Thom Browne

The most revolutionary menswear designer working in American today is Thom Browne. From the beginning of his design career, his distinctive suits, with their “shrunken” jackets and tight pants with exposed ankles, have shaken the fashion world. Yet even though Browne has thoroughly reworked the standard suit silhouette, he nonetheless consistently relies on traditional suiting materials and workmanship.

A native of Pennsylvania, Browne was born in 1965. He earned a degree in economics from Notre Dame and tried his hand at acting before becoming a salesman at the Armani showroom in New York. He went on to lead the creative development teams at Club Monaco and Ralph Lauren, then launched his own label in 2001. In 2006, Browne signed a contract with Brookes Brothers to design a high-end collection for both men and women and in 2008 he designed a menswear collection for the Italian sportswear firm, Moncler Gamme Bleu. Most recently, Browne launched his eponymous women’s line, for fall 2011.

Browne’s distinctive silhouette is not his only contribution to tailoring. He often reconstructs the traditional suiting canon by taking garments apart, and then reconfiguring those disassembled parts in new ways. Some versions of his gray flannel, three-piece suits, for example, have the arms of the jacket relocated to the waistcoat, or vest. Browne also embellishes his menswear with elements from women’s clothing—and vice versa. Browne abides by conventional tailoring aesthetics and yet embraces contemporary techniques, such as reconstruction. By so doing, he pushes the perimeters of male dressing.